Phones are the new computers.

Are watching YouTube, chatting via webcam with your friends, sending emails and making appointments your favorite office pastimes? If you’re a comp-aholic and want to take the job on the road, forget about dragging your chunky laptop. Now you can turn your mobiles (with 3G, GPRS, or Wifi connections) into mini-computers, thanks to these applications.

Instant Messenger

Miss your MSN sweethearts or Skype buddies while you’re not at your screen? Fring (www.fring.com) can be installed on your mobile and serves as a messenger that combines all your IM (MSN, Skype, ICQ, Google Talk and Twitter) contacts into one. And depending on your GPRS rates, you can also call your IM friends using its VOIP (voice over IP, a phone call over the internet).

Compatible with: Smartphones running on Symbian OS and Windows Mobile

Mobile Desktop

Phones tiny memories; sometimes it’s hard to put your entire life in their cramped chips. That’s where SoonR (www.soonr.com) comes in. With SoonR, you can access your photos, documents, and even Outlook/Mac emails from your PC from your mobile phone. All you need to do is download their program, install it, and leave your computer connected to the internet. You can now access your files by using SoonR on your mobile.

Compatible with: Both Mac and Windows. Any mobile device can access the stuff

Media Streamer

Orb (www.orb.com) is similar to SoonR, but with a greater focus on multimedia content. By installing Orb onto your PC, you gain access, through your phone, to everything it can do at home: play videos, TV (if your computer has that function), or spy on your pets/kids/gig through the webcam. Just keep your PC connected to the internet and you can access your media anytime. You can access Orb media with any portable device including mobile phones and PDA. Of course it would be better to stream your media through a wifi connection, but if you don’t mind the lag, GPRS will do just fine.

Compatible with: Smartphones with media player, Windows Mobile, Palm

Web Browser

Yes, we know most phones these days come equipped with a web browser. But if you’re still using that crappy WAP page, it’s time for a change. Go to Opera Mini (www.operamini.com) to overcome the fact that most websites are not designed for mobile browsers. On mobiles, those chunky texts and oversized images, can be a real headache. Opera browser however gives you a full-screen page on your phone so you know where things are. It also has RSS reader and the ability to view things in landscape orientation for more comfortable viewing.

Compatible with: Mobile phones, smartphones running on Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry

RSS Reader

If you can’t live without getting the latest news on Britney’s drunken nights, war in Iraq or your buddies’ blogs, just install LiteFeeds (www.litefeeds.com) on your phone and the latest updates from your favorite blogs and news sites will be sent to your phone. Each item is also compressed to match your phone’s capabilities, making it faster and simpler to navigate. You can also share your favorite item by email or on a blog.

Compatible with: Smartphones running on Symbian OS and Java, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry

Live WebCasting

For CNN correspondent wannabes, PocketCaster from ComVu (www.comvu.com) can help you realize your dream. PocketCaster lets you broadcast anything from Sanam Luang rallies to catfights in RCA live from your camera phone to any website or blog. Sign up for an account, download the software and install it on your phone. If you have a blog or a website, you can get their HTML code and embed it, and voila, your life and whoever’s in it are on display. You can also upload your video directly to YouTube for maximum exposure.

Compatible with: Smartphones running on Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, Palm

Media Uploader

Facebook and Flickr addicts can now take their hobbies on the road with ShoZu (www.shozu.com). With the ShoZu application installed in your phone, you can upload your photos and videos onto your favorite online social sites like Flickr or Facebook, and share the media with your friends through their “Share-It” function. This tool also supports lots of other online media services such as blogs, web albums, YouTube, and even CNN and BBC news sites for citizen journalists.

Compatible with: Smartphones running on Symbian OS and Java, Windows Mobile, Palm